Westlife (album)

Westlife
Studio album by Westlife
Released	1 November 1999
Recorded	1998–99; Rokstone Studios (London, England), Cheiron Studios (Stockholm, Sweden) CaVa Studios (Glasgow, Scotland)
Genre	Pop
Length	65:32 (international) 50:59 United States
Label	RCA, BMG
Producer	Simon Cowell (exec.), Steve Mac (also exec.), Wayne Hector (exec.), Per Magnusson, David Kreuger, Rami Yacoub, TTW, David Foster, Pete Waterman, Jake Schulze, David Frank, Steve Kipner, Cutfather & Joe, Jaime Ikeda, Rovi
Westlife chronology
Westlife (1999) Coast to Coast (2000)
Alternative cover
North American cover
Singles from Westlife
"Swear It Again" Released: 12 April 1999 "If I Let You Go" Released: 9 August 1999 "Flying Without Wings" Released: 18 October 1999 "I Have a Dream" Released: 6 December 1999 "Seasons In The Sun" Released: 19 December 1999 "Fool Again" Released: 27 March 2000

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllRovi	[1]
AllMusic	[2]

Westlife is the self-titled debut studio album by Irish boy band Westlife. The album was released on 1 November 1999 through RCA. The album spawned the five UK number-one hit singles "Swear It Again", "If I Let You Go", "Flying Without Wings", the double A-side "I Have a Dream" / "Seasons in the Sun", and "Fool Again".

Background

Westlife signed to Arista Records for the North American territory after auditioning for the label's founder, Clive Davis.^[3] Westlife released "Swear It Again" as their debut single in the United States. The singles was serviced to radio in February and released commercially on 7 March 2000. The album was released on 4 April 2000 with an altered track listing that included the new song, "My Private Movies".^[3]

In 2005, the album was released in a compilation box collection with Westlife's fourth studio album, Turnaround.

Commercial performance

Due to all five singles from the album peaking at number one on the UK Singles Chart in less than a year, Westlife created a chart history record that remains unbroken to date. Despite this, however, the album entered and peaked at number two, being beaten only by an extra 1,000 copies of Steptacular by Steps.^[4] The album became the eighth best-selling album of 1999 in the United Kingdom, and ended up being certified 4× Platinum.^[5] The album went on to spend seventy-four weeks in the UK Top 100.^[6] A video album related to the release, entitled "The Westlife Story", was released in October 2000, peaking at number 15 on the UK Visual Chart. The release was available on both VHS and DVD. The DVD was later made available in a five disc set entitled "Westlife: The Complete Story".

In 2000, the album was released in the United States and peaked at number 129 on the Billboard 200.

The album also peaked at number 15 in Australia. Westlife also remains the best-selling international album ever in Indonesia and Philippines, receiving 20× platinum certifications for over 1 million copies sold in Indonesia and 25× Platinum certifications for over 500,000 units sold in the Philippines.^[7][8] Overall, the album has sold more than five million copies worldwide.^[9]

Track listing

Standard edition
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Swear It Again"	Steve Mac, Wayne Hector	Mac	4:07
2.	"If I Let You Go"	David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	3:41
3.	"Flying Without Wings"	Mac, Hector	Mac	3:36
4.	"Fool Again"	Kreuger, Elofsson, Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	3:53
5.	"No No"	Andreas Carlsson, Rami	Rami	3:15
6.	"I Don't Wanna Fight"	Mac, Hector, Peter Cetera, David Foster	Mac	5:03
7.	"Change the World"	Lance Ellington, Topham, Twigg	TTW	3:10
8.	"Moments"	Steve Mac, Wayne Hector	Mac	4:17
9.	"Seasons in the Sun"	Jacques Brel, Rod McKuen	TTW	4:09
10.	"I Need You"	Andreas Carlsson, Max Martin, Rami	Rami	3:48
11.	"Miss You"	Jake Schulze, Rami	Jake, Rami	3:53
12.	"More Than Words"	Gary Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt	Mac	3:53
13.	"Open Your Heart"	Andreas Carlsson, Jake	Jake	3:40
14.	"Try Again"	Kreuger, Elofsson, Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	3:34
15.	"What I Want Is What I've Got"	Alexandra Talomaa, Rami	Rami	3:34
16.	"We Are One"	Alexandre Desplat, Mac, Hector	Mac	3:44
17.	"Can't Lose What You Never Had"	David Frank, Steve Kipner	Frank, Kipner	4:26

Japanese bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
18.	"Story of Love"	Patrick Tucker, Shepard Solomon, Arnthor Birgisson	Jaime Ikeda, Rovi	3:54

Australian bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
18.	"I Have a Dream"	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	Pete Waterman	4:07

American edition
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Swear It Again"	Steve Mac, Wayne Hector	Mac	4:07
2.	"Can't Lose What You Never Had"	David Frank, Steve Kipner	Frank, Kipner	4:26
3.	"I Don't Wanna Fight"	Mac, Hector, Peter Cetera, David Foster	Mac	5:03
4.	"My Private Movie"	Steve Kipner, David Kopatz, Jack Kugell	Cutfather & Joe	4:05
5.	"Flying Without Wings"	Mac, Hector	Mac	3:36
6.	"If I Let You Go"	David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	3:41
7.	"Fool Again"	Kreuger, Elofsson, Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	3:53
8.	"No No"	Andreas Carlsson, Rami Yacoub	Rami	3:15
9.	"Miss You"	Jake Schulze, Rami	Schulze, Rami	3:53
10.	"Open Your Heart"	Carlsson, Schulze	Schulze	3:40
11.	"I Need You"	Carlsson, Max Martin, Rami	Rami	3:48
12.	"We Are One"	Alexadre Desplat, Mac, Hector	Mac	3:44
13.	"More Than Words"	Gary Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt	Mac	3:53

Deluxe edition bonus disc[10]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"I Have a Dream"	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	Pete Waterman	4:07
2.	"On the Wings of Love"	Topham, Twigg	Waterman	3:22
3.	"Swear It Again" (Rokstone Mix)	Steve Mac, Wayne Hector	Steve Mac	4:04
4.	"If I Let You Go" (extended mix)	David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	5:32
5.	"That's What It's All About"	Kreuger, Elofsson, Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	3:22
6.	"Flying Without Wings" (a cappella)	Mac, Hector	Mac	3:33

Platinum edition bonus disc[11]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Tunnel of Love"	David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	3:19
2.	"My Private Movie"	Steve Kipner, David Kopatz, Jack Kugell	Cutfather & Joe	4:05
3.	"Fool Again" (2000 remix)	Kreuger, Elofsson, Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	4:04
4.	"Until the End of Time"	Steve Mac, Wayne Hector	Mac	3:11
5.	"Forever"	Mac, Hector, Mark Johnson, Ali Tennant	Mac	5:05
6.	"Everybody Knows"	Mac, Hector	Mac	4:05
7.	"Let's Make Tonight Special"	Mac, Hector, Tennant	Mac	4:57
8.	"Ronan Keating Interviews Westlife"			3:30

Malaysian bonus karaoke VCD[12]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Swear It Again"	Steve Mac, Wayne Hector	Mac	4:07
2.	"If I Let You Go"	David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	3:41
3.	"Flying Without Wings"	Mac, Hector	Mac	3:36
4.	"Fool Again"	Kreuger, Elofsson, Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	3:53
5.	"No No"	Andreas Carlsson, Rami Yacoub	Yacoub	3:15
6.	"I Don't Wanna Fight"	Mac, Hector, Peter Cetera, David Foster	Mac	5:03
7.	"Change the World"	Lance Ellington, Topham, Twigg	TTW	3:10
8.	"Moments"	Mac, Hector	Mac	4:17
9.	"Seasons in the Sun"	Jacques Brel, Rod McKuen	TTW	4:09
10.	"I Need You"	Carlsson, Max Martin, Rami	Rami	3:48
11.	"Miss You"	Jake Schulze, Rami	Schulze, Rami	3:53
12.	"More Than Words"	Gary Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt	Mac	3:53
13.	"Open Your Heart"	Carlsson, Schulze	Schulze	3:40
14.	"Try Again"	Kreuger, Elofsson, Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	3:34
15.	"What I Want Is What I've Got"	Alexandra Talomaa, Rami	Rami	3:34
16.	"We Are One"	Alexandre Desplat, Mac, Hector	Mac	3:44
17.	"Can't Lose What You Never Had"	David Frank, Steve Kipner	Frank, Kipner	4:26
18.	"I Have a Dream"	Andersson, Ulvaeus	Pete Waterman	4:07

No.1 Hits & Rare Tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"I Have a Dream"	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	Pete Waterman	4:07
2.	"On the Wings of Love"	Topham, Twigg	Waterman	3:22
3.	"Swear It Again" (Rokstone Mix)	Steve Mac, Wayne Hector	Mac	4:04
4.	"If I Let You Go" (extended mix)	David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	5:32
5.	"That's What It's All About"	Kreuger, Elofsson, Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	3:22
6.	"Flying Without Wings" (a cappella)	Mac, Hector	Mac	3:33
7.	"Fool Again" (2000 remix)	Kreuger, Elofsson, Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	4:04

The Westlife Story
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Westlife Story" (Documentary)
2.	"Swear It Again" (video)
3.	"If I Let You Go" (video)
4.	"Flying Without Wings" (video)
5.	"I Have a Dream" (video)
6.	"Seasons in the Sun" (video)
7.	"Fool Again" (video)
8.	"Photo Gallery"
9.	"Hidden Track"
10.	"Trivia Quiz"
11.	"Interactive Scene & Song Selection"
12.	"Weblink"
13.	"Previously Unseen Footage"

Credits

Acoustic Guitar, Guitar [Electric]: Mats Berntoft (tracks: 2, 4, 14) Arranged By [Strings]: Henrik Janson (tracks: 2, 4, 11, 13, 14) Richard Niles (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, 16) Ulf Janson (tracks: 2, 4, 11, 13, 14) Arranged By [Vocals]: Steve Mac (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, 16) Wayne Hector (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, 16) Artwork By [Design]: root Backing Vocals [Additional]: Anders Von Hofsten (tracks: 2, 11, 13 to 15) Andreas Carlsson (tracks: 2, 5, 13) Bass: Steve Pearce (tracks: 3, 6, 12, 16) Tomas Lindberg (tracks: 2, 13, 15)

Engineer [Assistant]: Daniel Pursey (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, 16) Engineer [Mix]: Matt Howe (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, 16) Engineer, Programmed By: Chris Laws (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, 16) Executive Producer: Simon Cowell Steve Mac Wayne Hector Guitar: Esbjörn Öhrwall (tracks: 11, 13, 15) Paul Gendler (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, 16) Keyboards: Per Magnusson (tracks: 2, 4, 14) Photography: Brian Aris

Westlife Era

The following is a complete list of album tracks, singles, remixes and b-sides released during the Westlife era:

"Can't Lose What You Never Had" "Change The World" "Don't Calm The Storm" (Swear It Again B-side) "Everybody Knows" (Platinum Edition only) "Everybody Knows" (Demo) "Flying Without Wings" "Flying Without Wings" (Acapella) "Fool Again" "Fool Again" (2000 Remix) "Forever" (Platinum Edition only) "I Don't Wanna Fight" "If I Let You Go" "If I Let You Go" (Extended Mix) "I Have A Dream" (Australia & Deluxe Edition only) "I Have A Dream" (Single Remix) "I Need You" "Let's Make Tonight Special" (Platinum Edition only)

"Miss You" "Moments" "More Than Words" "My Private Movie" (America & Platinum Edition only) "No No" "Open Your Heart" "On The Wings of Love" (Deluxe Edition only) "Seasons In The Sun" "Seasons In The Sun" (Single Remix) "Story of Love" (Japan only) "Swear It Again" "Swear It Again" (Rokstone Mix) "That's What It's All About" (Deluxe Edition only) "Try Again" "Tunnel of Love" (Platinum Edition only) "Until The End of Time" (Platinum Edition only) "We Are One" "What I Want Is What I've Got"

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1999–2000) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13] 5 Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[14] 8 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[15] 10 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[16] 40 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] 55 Irish Albums (IRMA)[18] 1 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[19] 5 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[20] 1 Scottish Albums (OCC)[21] 4 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 5 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 25 UK Albums (OCC)[24] 2 US Billboard 200[25] 129 Year-end charts Chart (1999) Position UK Albums (OCC) 8

Certifications Region Certification Certified units/Sales Australia (ARIA)[26] Gold 35,000^^ Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[27] Platinum 50,000^^ Indonesia (ASIRI)[9] 20× Platinum 1,000,000^* Ireland (IRMA)[9] 15× Platinum 225,000^^ Mexico (AMPROFON)[28] Gold 75,000^^ Malaysia (RIM)[9] 8× Platinum 400,000^* Netherlands (NVPI)[29] Gold 50,000^^ New Zealand (RMNZ)[30] 3× Platinum 45,000^^ Philippines (PARI)[9] 5× Platinum 500,000[7] Sweden (GLF)[31] Gold 40,000^^ United Kingdom (BPI)[32] 5× Platinum 1,500,000^^ Summaries Europe (IFPI)[33] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^* Worldwide 5,000,000[9] ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Country	Date	Formats
United Kingdom	1 November 1999	Standard (17 Tracks)
Japan	4 April 2000	Standard (18 Tracks)
Philippines	18 April 2000	Deluxe (2xCD)
United States	7 May 2000	Standard (13 Tracks)
Australia	15 May 2000	Standard (18 Tracks)
Philippines	31 July 2000	Platinum (2xCD, CD+DVD)
United Kingdom	15 October 2000	Video (The Westlife Story)
Japan	19 December 2000	Standard (No.1 Hits & Rare Tracks)

References

1. "Listen to Westlife by Westlife - Album Reviews, Credits, and Awards". AllRovi. 7 December 1999. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
2. "Listen to Westlife by Westlife - Album Reviews, Credits, and Awards". AllMusic. 1999. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
3. Taylor, Chuck (5 February 2000). "Dublin's Darling Westlife Wins Over Europe, Aims For Success In U.S.". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 112 (6): 110. ISSN 0006-2510.
4. "British certifications". British Phonographic Industry.
5. "British certifications – Westlife". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Westlife in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Click Search
6. "Take That". Chart Stats. Archived from the original on 2012-07-21. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
7. Google News Archive (15 May 2001). "Westlife brings Coast to Coast in Manila". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
8. Sofia, Maya (20 October 2011). "Boyband Westlife Resmi Bubar Tahun Depan" (in Indonesian). Viva News. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
9. "Westlife biográfia - music.hu". pop.music.hu. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
10. "Westlife Westlife Malaysia DOUBLE CD (310176)". Eil.com. 18 November 2004. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
11. "Westlife Westlife - Platinum Deluxe Edition Indonesia DOUBLE CASSETTE (176228)". Eil.com. 31 January 2001. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
12. "Westlife Westlife Karaoke Singapore VIDEO CD (183874)". Eil.com. 1 May 2001. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
13. "Ultratop.be – Westlife – Westlife" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
14. "Dutchcharts.nl – Westlife – Westlife" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
15. "Hits of the World". Billboard: 69. 22 January 2000.
16. "Westlife: Westlife" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
17. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
18. "Hits of the World". Billboard: 61. 27 November 1999.
19. "Charts.org.nz – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
20. "Norwegiancharts.com – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
21. . Official Charts Company http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-albums-chart/19991219/40/. Retrieved 17 February 2013. Missing or empty |title= (help)
22. "Swedishcharts.com – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
23. "Swisscharts.com – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
24. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
25. "Westlife – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
26. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
27. Smith, Heidi von Bülow (2001-11-10). "Mens vi venter på drengene". BT (in Danish).
28. "Certificaciones – Westlife" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas.
29. "Dutch album certifications – Westlife – Westlife" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.
30. "New Zealand album certifications – Westlife – Westlife". Recorded Music NZ.
31. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1999" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
32. "British album certifications – Westlife – Westlife". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Westlife in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
33. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2000". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.